Thursday, March 19, 2009

Businessman dismisses UDF propaganda

Faizal Aboo, I have always been a successful businessman from this regime to the previous regimes. One does not need to entice anybody to have customers at a 5 Star hotel like Pacific. Pic By Malawi Digest.

By Emmanuel Sobilika

One of Malawi’s most successful businessmen Faizal Aboo has dismissed propaganda reports financed by the opposition that he is involved in some clandestine activities with Malawi President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

Aboo, a Malawian of Asian origin trading under Pacific Limited as its Project Promoter told Malawi Digest in an exclusive interview that he has always been a successful businessman getting his riches through clean means.

“There is no reason for me to get involved in any illegal transactions because I have always been successful in any of my business ventures,” he said.

Aboo said that all people that have been closer to him know him better that he has always been a straight forward and honest person who earns his bread and butter through hard work.

“I have been successful in this regime and the past regime under Muluzi and this is a fact that can be cross checked by anybody who feels it matters,” he said.

He was reacting to an online propaganda report published by a Bakili Muluzi and opposition UDF propaganda tool, the Nyasatimes.

On Wednesday, the opposition propaganda online publication published a report mentioning Aboo and some other successful Malawian business personalities that they were involved in illegal business transactions with incumbent Malawi President Dr Bingu wa Mutharika and the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).

However, Aboo who runs Pacific Limited and Namiwawa Lodge amongst a list of his most successful businesses rubbished the opposition propaganda reports.

“The Pacific Hotel mentioned in the opposition propaganda report is one of the best hotels in Malawi. It’s a 5 Star hotel and the only four storey hotel in the whole of Lilongwe. One does not need to entice anybody to sleep at a 5 Star hotel, people come automatically,” said the confident Aboo.

Several other business persons that have been named in the alleged opposition ‘dossier’ if at all it exists have also denied any illegal transactions with the government of the day.

However, investigations by Malawi Digest have revealed that the people named in the alleged report are those that have turned down advances by the opposition UDF national chairman Bakili Muluzi to give him funding for his third term come back campaign bid.

One of those that were mentioned in the report but speaking on condition on anonymity told Malawi Digest that Bakili Muluzi has always hit a wall whenever he approaches some Malawian businessmen especially those of Asian origin.

“During his 10 year reign in power a lot of business personalities helped Muluzi and his party with finances and in seeking his third term, he thought they would do the same but this time around that is not the case,” said the business man who also runs a number of businesses in Malawi.

He said that these potential financiers have turned away from Bakili Muluzi such that he is very bitter thinking the business personalities are now funding the ruling DPP.

“Muluzi is an angry person at the moment because none of the successful Asian businessmen are opening up to finance him hence the reports to tarnish our images,” he said.

Another businessman also mentioned in the opposition propaganda report but speaking on condition of anonymity to Malawi Digest said that most Asian businessmen in Malawi have fooled Bakili Muluzi the last three years during his frequent trips to the United Kingdom.

“Others promised him that they could not give him funding here but in the UK where a lot of their relatives stay but when Muluzi goes there, he often times has hit a blank wall,” he said.

The businessman said that often times, when Muluzi goes to the UK, he does not fail to visit Leicester City to meet these potential financiers but has not been successful in a bigger way.

Leicester is one of the areas in the UK highly dominated by Asians who have relatives in Malawi.

He therefore said that he was not surprised that Muluzi has gone to the extent of ordering and sponsoring propaganda reports on the internet in order to get back at those that have refused him financial backing.

“Most businessmen are refusing him funding because they don’t see any reason why Bakili Muluzi is seeking another third term after ruining the country’s economy and their businesses during his 10 years in power,” said the businessman.

Former President Bakili Muluzi is undergoing serious financial difficulties such that most creditors are now taking him to court claiming their huge sums of money.

It was revealed in the media recently that Muluzi was even failing to pay his telephone bills after one of Malawi’s leading mobile phone companies Zain Malawi took him to court.

The company is demanding back from over K5 million in air time usage that the former president Muluzi has failed to pay back in the last six months.

Muluzi, who is well known for his life of showing off and splashing money like Father Christmas has not been himself in the last few months after creditors squeezed him into a tight corner.

A Lilongwe based motor repair, the Maulidi Garage has also taken him to court for failing to pay back over K1 million only for motor vehicle services.

Malawi Digest investigations indicate that there is a long list of creditors on Bakili Muluzi but some of them have chosen to accord Muluzi some kind of respect as former president of Malawi by reminding him through letters and telephones – Malawi Digest.

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